Sexual Orientation and Ethnic Diversity

Sexual orientation refers to the component of a person's sexual identity that reflects one's physical and emotional attraction to the opposite or same sex. Some individuals are attracted to both males and females. Everyone has a sexual orientation. Sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, and others have all tried to understand sexual orientation. Historically, different nontraditional sexual orientations have been both taboo and honored by different cultures. Homosexuality has been considered a mental illness or a sin, and yet in ancient Greece, armies of homosexual lovers helped Alexander to conquer the known world. In 1973, the Board of Directors of the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as a mental illness from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), yet many individuals still consider it an illness.

As with other historically oppressed groups, homosexual individuals have used other terms to self-identify, including gay, lesbian, queer, and fag. Today, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) is often used to identify individuals who are not heterosexual. This acronym is often expanded to LGBTQ to include those who are transsexual or questioning their sexual orientation. Non-heterosexual individuals often have more than one level of norms and expectations to address; ethnic traditions and expectations present numerous opportunities for conflict, resulting in familial and community dissonance. Many attempt to “pass,” marrying and having children to present a “normal” sexual orientation to the outside world. The majority of individuals in the United States are heterosexual. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 10 Americans are LGBT. It has also been suggested that the size of the LGBT population in the United States may be underestimated because of fear of discrimination and stigma. LGBT individuals attempt to pass until they “come out of the closet” and publicly acknowledge their sexual orientation to their family, friends, colleagues, and community. Some in traditional marriages may fear divorce and loss of child custody.

The United States is composed of ethnic groups representing virtually every global population, each with traditions and value expectations, often resulting in internal and external conflict. Different cultural groups are more or less accepting of non-heterosexual behavior, and in some cultures, unique roles have been established. Throughout Native American cultures, two-spirited individuals, who might have sexual relations with both sexes, have been healers, spiritual leaders, guardians of oral traditions and songs, foretellers of the future, and diviners of lucky names.